


What Bravery Looks Like

by Angel Ascending (angel_in_ink)



Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: Bathing, Cuddling, Exhaustion, Kissing, M/M, Pretty sure Caleb is demi-sexual, Self-Doubt, Self-Loathing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-01
Updated: 2018-02-01
Packaged: 2019-03-12 08:33:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,584
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13543629
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/angel_in_ink/pseuds/Angel%20Ascending
Summary: It had been a long night, one of those kind of long nights that had turned into a long morning, and Caleb was exhausted, the kind of exhausted that made him ache in his bones. His plan was to go back to the inn, fall onto his bed, and sleep the day around.There was an old saying, that men plan and the gods laugh.





	What Bravery Looks Like

**Author's Note:**

  * For [CinWicked](https://archiveofourown.org/users/CinWicked/gifts).



> For my very best soul-sib, @CinWicked. Consider this a welcome present for your brand new account, and a thank you for introducing me to Critical Role in the first place. Love you, brother. Thanks for answering my endless questions! ^_^

It had been a long night, one of those kind of long nights that had turned into a long morning, and Caleb was exhausted, the kind of exhausted that made him ache in his bones, though that might have been some lingering traces of the imp’s poison. After hours being interrogated by Norda the law master, events had played out about as well as he could have hoped for honestly. Everyone had been exonerated and Gustav, Bo, and Orna had been set free and told that the carnival had until tomorrow sundown to leave town.

It had also been, if not outright stated, strongly implied that Caleb himself should also be moving on, and he had been given some “traveling money” to speed him on his way. There had been an air of embarrassment and anger about the whole ordeal, as if the Crown’s Guard didn’t like being “shown up” by one scruffy looking traveller. Caleb wasn’t entirely sure that they had honestly believed that he had taken down a fiend by himself, but there wasn’t any actual proof otherwise, and they had the body of the fiend and the text of Caleb’s book on fiends as evidence of what had caused the undead husks in the first place, and that seemed to have been enough.

Gustav, Bo, and Orna had walked out with Caleb, and after they were a good ways away from the Stockade Gustav caught Caleb’s eye. “So. What really happened?”

Caleb gave them a quick rundown of what had actually happened as they walked back towards the district that housed the Nestled Nook Inn. “Last I knew, everyone went back to the inn.” He had seen briefly through Frumpkin’s eyes earlier to know that this was so.“Molly has Toya. She might be awake by now, I don’t know. He was going to take her back to the carnival before he remembered that the guards had told us everyone had fled.”

Orna gave a sharp nod. “I told them all to go. They will meet up with us in the next town we were planning to stop at.” She sighed. “This isn’t the first time we’ve had trouble, but never on this scale.”

“You did the right thing,” Gustav said. “You and Bo go back to the carnival and start packing up whatever’s left. I’ll accompany Caleb back to the inn and collect Mollymauk and Toya.”

Both Bo and Orna nodded. “Give our thanks to your friends, if you would,” Bo said, before he and Orna headed off to the edge of town.

“My friends. Yes.” They _were_ Caleb’s friends now, weren’t they? Well, Nott already was, but the rest? They were… something.

Gustav watched Bo and Orna leave before heaving a sigh. “I put them in danger.” He sounded as exhausted as Caleb felt. “All of them. I wouldn’t be surprised if the ones that left don’t come back.”

“It wasn’t your fault,” Caleb said, then paused. “You _didn’t_ know, right?”

“Do you honestly think that I would jeopardize the lives of people who trust me just to make some coin?” The anger in Gustav’s voice had weariness threaded through it. “No, I didn’t know. I thought he was an obese lizard man with a gimmick, trying to make his way the same as we all are. And poor Toya…. I hope she was just a scared pawn in all this as opposed to…” Gustav passed a shaking hand over his eyes. “I knew my luck was bad, but not this bad.”

“You’re not in jail right now,” Caleb pointed out. “I’d say that’s some good luck.”

Gustav shook his head. “That’s not luck, that’s because of you, all of you.” He held Caleb’s eyes with his own. “I owe you. You and your friends.”

Caleb looked away from the half-elf, too tired for the man’s positive regard. “You don’t owe me anything. Oh look, we’re here.”

The door of the inn was a welcome sight and one that spared Caleb any further uncomfortable conversation. His plan was to go into his room, fall onto his bed, and sleep the day round.

There was an old saying, that men plan and the gods laugh.

Caleb opened the door to the inn only to see what looked like half the town sitting and standing in the common room, conversing amongst themselves in a susurrus of whispers that briefly ceased as everyone turned to look at Caleb, then returned in full force at a much higher volume. There were hands on his arms, someone pushing him towards a table, someone else trying to press a mug of ale into his hand. Eager faces were surrounding him, and now Caleb could make out some words amongst the din. “How did you kill the demon? Tell us! You’re a hero!”

Hero. Caleb felt the blood drain from his face as his heart pounded in his ears. He tried to look away from the crowd of people but everywhere he looked there were just more faces, more eyes on him. “No, please, I’m not, I—I—“

There was a sudden loud crash as all the windows in the tavern flew open at once, a sound Caleb had almost grown used to since it seemed to be Jester’s favorite trick. Nearly everyone turned to look for the source of the sound, and at the same moment Caleb felt a strong hand grab his arm and yank him towards the stairs. He flinched, whipping his head around, only to find himself staring at Beau.

“C’mon,” the monk hissed, and Caleb had no choice but to oblige her, it was either that or have his shoulder dislocated. They were halfway up the stairs when Caleb heard a familiar voice carrying over the noise of the crowded tavern with the skill of someone who was used to talking over crowds.

“Everyone, please! Even heroes need their rest!” Caleb could almost hear Mollymauk’s smile in those words. “If it’s a story you’re wanting, has anyone here ever heard the tale of the Terrible Tinkerer of Tal’Dorei?”

Beau lead Caleb to the upstairs hallway where Caleb leaned against the wall, panting. “What— why is everybody _here_?”

Beau scowled. “You didn’t grow up in a small town I guess. Our friend the fisherman told everyone what we had told _him_ , that you had slain the fiend. This whole affair has been the most exciting thing that’s happened in this town since probably forever, of course everyone wants to hear about it.”

Caleb groaned, covering his face with his hands. “I don’t—I can’t go back down there.”

“Hey, don’t worry about it. None of them are gonna come up here after you, not without getting through me. Go get some sleep or something, you look like shit.”

“Thanks,” Caleb said flatly. Then he remembered the money that had been given to him, payment or bribe or whatever it had been, and pulled the pouch out of his coat. “Here, split this up amongst everyone. Make sure Nott gets her share.”

Beau took the pouch, weighing it in her hand. “You take your cut already?”

Caleb shook his head. “I don’t want it.” Then, because she was still standing there, looking at him, he added, “you did a good job out there last night.”

Beau’s grin was a wry twist of a thing. “Yeah, I knocked out a little girl and killed an imp. I’m a big damn hero.” She turned and went back down the stairs, leaving Caleb alone.

For a minute Caleb leaned even harder against the wall, closing his eyes, then he shook himself and continued walking down the hallway towards his room. If he didn’t keep moving he was going to fall asleep standing up. His hands were shaking as he opened the door to his room. Ten steps and he’d be in his bed and all would be right with the world.

As soon as he opened the door there was a familiar scratchy high pitched cry of “Caleb!” and a green blur hit him at about waist height, causing him to stagger back before putting his arms around the goblin girl.

“Hey,” Caleb said softly, running a hand through Nott’s stringy black hair. “Hey, it’s all right, I’m here, I came back.”

“You were gone for so long!” Nott whined. “I thought maybe they had locked you up and Jester and I were going to have to go bust you out!”

Caleb had to chuckle at that. “You two are becoming quite the team. Soon you’ll forget all about me.”

“That’s not true! I mean, she’s pretty and fun and she likes shiny things, but—“ Nott’s eyes were huge in her sharp face, and Caleb saw that they were red, as if she had been crying.

Caleb hunkered down so that he was looking Nott in the eyes, wincing as his joints protested. “Hush, I was joking.” He reached up and cupped the side of her face. “You saved my life again.”

Nott blushed and averted her gaze. “Wasn’t nothing.”

“I disagree. It was very much something, and I thank you. You were named well, Nott the Brave.”

Nott blushed harder and mumbled something, but she was smiling her nightmare of a smile, and that was enough for Caleb. He stood fully upright and stretched, joints popping. “Now I need to get some sleep and then we’ll talk about what we’re doing next, all right?”

“Well, ummm, there’s a bit of a problem with that,” Nott said, and Caleb, whose eyes had already travelled toward the bed, saw what the problem was instantly. His bed was occupied by Toya, covers pulled over her tiny form, a bruise blooming yellow and purple at her temple. She was frowning in her sleep. Frumpkin was perched on the headboard of the bed, and when Caleb looked at him he fluttered over to sit on Caleb’s shoulder.

“Your bed was empty, and we didn’t know when you were coming back, so—“ Nott wrung her hands, distressed.

Caleb pet Frumpkin, who gave a little happy chirp and fluffed up his feathers. “It’s all right,” Caleb said with a sigh. “I can roll out my bedroll and sleep on the floor.” It wouldn’t be as comfortable as the bed and his body would surely ache worse, but he would have laid down on rocks if it meant he could sleep.

“You are having a bath first.” Jester’s voice, bright and chipper as always, rang out from behind him. Before Caleb knew it he was being spun around and pulled out the door.

_Stay with Nott_ , Caleb ordered Frumpkin telepathically. Out loud he said, “Jester, can’t this wait?”

“Are you made of sugar and you’ll melt if you touch water? Is that why you don’t bathe? I’d lick you and find out but you’re all over covered in blood and you smell.” Jester wrinkled her nose.

Caleb looked down at himself, then realized what she said was true, there was dried blood on his clothes and on his skin. There were bandages underneath his shirt that he didn’t remember anyone applying, he must have really been out of it after the battle. “I suppose I could—“

“Good,” Jester interrupted. “I have already paid for two baths and I will not have my money wasted.”

“Wait, two—?”

Caleb was pushed into the bathing room, a small room with white tiles and two copper tubs that were already filled with steaming hot water. There was a table with towels on it near the tubs, and another table between the two tubs that held soap and washcloths.

Jester nodded at their surroundings. “Very good. Now strip.”

Caleb stared at her pointedly. “Could you maybe—“

Jester just looked back at him, smiling broadly.

“Could you like, turn around or look away or something?”

“I _could_ yes,” Jester said, still grinning.

Caleb didn’t make a move to take off his clothes, and Jester didn’t look away. How long could the tiefling go without blinking? Longer than he could, apparently, but he still refused to move.

Finally Jester let out a huff, her breath ruffling her bangs. “Fine. Could you at least take off your shirt so I can look at where the imp jabbed you with its tail? Since I’m _the_ cleric now I should probably make sure it’s not turning a color or leaking some interesting pus or something.”

That was a request that Caleb felt he could comply with. He eased off his coat, folded it neatly, and placed it on the same table as the towels, laying his books in their holsters on top of it. His shirt was stiff with dried blood, and there was a hole where the imp’s tail had penetrated it. Caleb winced as he took it off, his muscles protesting the action. He would have to stretch before fights in the future, not that he planned on fighting a monster anytime soon, or ever again for that matter.

Jester removed his bandages with surprising gentleness. Caleb looked down at the wound and winced. It was an angry red color, with purple bruising surrounding it. Jester cocked her head and poked at the wound with a finger, and Caleb swore and jerked back a step.

“Oh you’re fine,” Jester said impatiently. “If it didn’t hurt, then you’d have a problem.” She stepped forward and put a hand on Caleb’s chest before he could react, saying something under her breath in a language Caleb didn’t know. There was a sensation of warmth and then Jester took her hand away, smiling.

“There, see? All better!”

Caleb looked down at himself. Where the wound had been there was now only a raised pink scar. “Ummm, thank you.”

“You’re welcome!” Jester said brightly, before turning her attention to Caleb’s shirt, which had ended up on the floor. She prodded at it with her boot. “I am pretty sure this shirt is done for. I don’t suppose you have another one?”

“That was my good shirt,” Caleb said, looking down at it. Granted, like most of his clothing it had been faded and threadbare with a few minor rips and tears. The fact that it was now covered in dried blood did nothing to improve it. “Unfortunately, it was also my only shirt.”

“Ewwww,” Jester said. “No wonder you smell.”

“I was keeping it clean,” Caleb protested, saying a word and flicking his fingers in a familiar motion. A section of blood magically vanished from the fabric.

“Hmmph.” Jester seemed unimpressed. “If I leave, will you promise not to fall asleep in the tub and drown? I do not think I can bring you back from the dead if you actually die. Yet.”

“I promise,” Caleb said solemnly. To be fair, he would have promised anything just to have a room to himself for a few minutes, but a promise was a promise and he meant it.

Jester nodded and headed for the door. “I’ll just go get Fjord then,” she said cheerfully as she left the room.

Caleb nodded, undoing his belt, and then Jester’s words caught up to him. “Wait, Fjord?”

Only silence answered him. Caleb groaned and began to frantically tug off his boots, wanting to be in the tub before Fjord came in. Caleb didn’t often find himself attracted to people in a physical way, and not usually so quickly. Maybe it was working in close proximity with Fjord over the past couple of days, seeing him display both physical and arcane power, not to mention the fact that Fjord was clearly intelligent, that had lead the Caleb to daydreaming about what it would feel like to run his hands over the half-orc’s muscled chest or if Fjord’s lips were as soft as they looked. And now Fjord was going to be in the same room as him. Bathing. Water sliding over skin…..

Caleb clamped down on that path of thought as he finished stripping off his clothes, leaving them in a heap. He *was* going to need a new shirt, but he was too tired to even think about that now. He stepped into the tub, almost moaning at how good the hot water felt as he slid into it. He leaned back, submerging as much of himself as possible and closing his eyes, only to sit bolt upright with a splash when he thought he heard a sound like someone sneaking up beside him. A frantic glance told him no one was there.

Caleb rubbed a hand over his face and sank back into the water, sighing. He was tired, jumping at shadows. He kept his eyes open, staring up at the ceiling as his muscles relaxed and his racing heart calmed. It was in his best interest to bathe as quickly as possible so he could get some sleep, yet now that he had stopped moving it was hard to get his body to do anything, despite the protests of his mind. It wasn’t as if he had a proper bed to get back to, unless Gustav had taken Toya back to the carnival already.

Caleb sent his mind out to Frumpkin, and was surprised to discover that Nott and Frumpkin were no longer in his room, but down in the inn proper. From Frumpkin’s vantage point atop Nott’s head, Caleb could see Jester, who was laughing about something, and hear Nott joining in with her own laughter. The goblin girl had laughed more in the past few days than the whole time she had been traveling with Caleb, he was certain of that.

Caleb instructed his familiar to look around the room, and when Frumpkin caught sight of Molly talking to Gustav, Caleb had the tiny bird flutter over and land on the curve of one of Molly’s horns, interested in this conversation.

“Where else would I go, Gustav?”

“You’re not going to stay with the carnival forever,” Gustav said, taking a sip of ale. “You’re suited to the life, I’ll give you that, but eventually you’re going to go back to the life you’ve been running from.”

“And what makes you think I’m running from anything?” Molly’s tone was light, but Caleb wasn’t fooled and neither it seemed was Gustav.

“No one joins the carnival who isn’t running from something or other.” Gustav shrugged. “Still, I’m glad you say you’ll stay. Do you think any of your friends might be persuaded to come with us if I asked them? I’m not sure how many of our performers are actually going to come back and with Yasha gone as well….”

“She’ll come back,” Molly said. “She always comes back. As for the others, I don’t know if I’d use the word ‘friends’ just yet. Though we have killed several things over the past few days and that _does_ tend to bring people closer together. Hmmmm.” Molly gestured with his hand, a sunflower seed appearing between his fingers as if by magic, though Caleb was sure it was not. As he watched, Molly reached up and offered the seed to Frumpkin.

“I don’t know, Caleb, what do you think?” Molly asked out loud.

Caleb blinked, severing the temporary connection to his familiar. He was startled to see not the ceiling above him, but Fjord leaning over him with a smile on his face.

“Welcome back,” Fjord drawled. “For a minute I thought maybe you were asleep, and then I saw your eyes were open and they were doing that thing, you know.” Fjord waved a hand in front of his own eyes as if to demonstrate. “That thing where they go all blue. It’s pretty.”

Caleb blinked a few times, and then he was staring, because all Fjord was wearing was a towel wrapped low around his hips. Caleb’s eyes took in the shape of the muscles under his skin and the light greenish-yellow of various scars, memorizing them with the same ferocity as he memorized arcane texts.

“See anything interesting?” Fjord’s tone was playful and Caleb felt the heat rising in his face as he blushed.

“Forgive me, I am too tired for good manners it seems. I didn’t mean to stare.”

Fjord chuckled. “I don’t mind it. I could ask Jester to do up a drawing for you if you like, it’d last longer.”

Caleb shook his head. “No thank you. I shudder to think what interesting additions Jester would include in such a piece.”

Fjord stepped away from Caleb and towards his own tub. Caleb let himself stare at Fjord’s back for a long moment, catching the briefest of glimpses of Fjord’s backside as he dropped the towel. Caleb wrenched his gaze away then, only looking over at Fjord after the sound of splashing indicated that the half-orc was settled into the tub.

Fjord leaned back and closed his eyes briefly. “Okay, I have to admit that the hot water feels amazing. I am now slightly less annoyed that Jester woke me up out of a sound sleep for this. Of course,” Fjord said, turning his head towards Caleb, “being in good company also helps make this worth it.”

Flirting. That had definitely been flirting, right? Caleb wished he was awake enough to truly enjoy it.

“I’m hardly good company,” Caleb said, reaching for the soap so that he would have something to do with his hands. “I’m exhausted and the fact that I can still string words together into sentences is nothing short of a miracle. I’d be sleeping on the floor of my room right now if Jester hadn’t dragged me in here. Though I must admit, bathing in hot water for a change is very nice.”

“Sounds like you’ve been living rough,” Fjord said, reaching for soap as well. “Lots of bathing in streams and suchlike?”

“More or less,” Caleb said. Washing himself while sneaking glances at Fjord out of the corner of his eye was proving distracting. “Even when we’re staying at an inn, well, there always seems to be something else we could be spending our coin on besides a little bit of luxury. Nott, for example, can easily eat twice of what I do, especially if bacon is involved, and woe betide anyone trying to steal anything off her plate.”

Fjord laughed. “I wouldn’t try it! She’s fierce! Did you see her last night? She saw you were in trouble and just went straight at that damn devil toad’s _face._ ” Fjord sounded downright gleeful. “She leapt at that thing like a terrier after a rat!”

Caleb smiled even as he felt self-loathing twisting up his spine like a snake. “She’s named well, yes.”

“I’ll say. I thought her name was like, a pun or something, but nope.” Fjord rubbed some soap into his hair, then ducked briefly under the water to rinse it. When he came back up he smoothed his wet hair back with one hand, sitting up a bit in the tub andturning his full attention towards Caleb. “So, what was your little bird telling you when I walked in?”

“He doesn’t speak to me,” Caleb said, watching drops of water slide down Fjord’s chest. “But I overheard Gustav asking Molly if he thought we’d be interested in joining the carnival.”

“Huh,” Fjord said thoughtfully. “So they’re in the clear, right? Us too? That’s what I had assumed, since you were here and the Crown’s Guard wasn’t dragging us off to jail.”

“Ah, yes, sorry.” Caleb rubbed the back of his neck. “It’s been a long night. Morning. I had forgotten I hadn’t told you. The law master wants the carnival to be gone by sundown, and she strongly implied that I should be on my way about then as well.”

“Figures,” Fjord said. “Well, you and Nott are more than welcome to come with us.”

Hearing those words from Fjord should have made Caleb happy. After all, it had been why Caleb and Nott had been in town to begin with, to find some adventurers to tag along with. Instead, Caleb felt his stomach twist.

“You don’t need me along,” Caleb said softly, looking away from Fjord. “You should take Nott with you though. She deserves better than to be stuck with a useless coward that can’t hold their own in a fight.” Caleb stood quickly, climbing out of the tub and grabbing for a towel. He didn’t look at Fjord, didn’t want to see if his eyes held pity or the realization of how pathetic Caleb was. “I’m sorry, I should go, I—“

There was a splash and a thump, followed by footsteps.

Caleb closed his eyes like a man expecting a blow, shaking as if he were freezing. Instead there was only a gentle hand on his shoulder, the touch light enough that Caleb could easily shrug it off if he wanted to. He didn’t.

“I am going to assume that you’re so exhausted that you don’t know what you’re saying, because that was the stupidest shit I’ve ever heard come out of your mouth, and I _know_ you’re not stupid.” Fjord said softly.

“I’m just…” Tired, that’s what Caleb was, so tired that every negative thought that had been lurking in the back of his brain the past few days was spilling out of his mouth whether he wanted it to or not. “I’m not brave.”

“You know, you keep saying that, and yet I haven’t seen you do anything to back that theory up,” Fjord said. “You’ve stood and helped us face every single threat we’ve come across so far.”

“And I’ve been scared out of my mind every single time!” Caleb nearly shouted.

Silence, then a sigh. “You think being brave means not being scared?”

“Well, by definition…”

“I’m not talking definitions, I’m talking life, which even the best books have been known to get wrong. Yeah, sometimes being brave looks like charging into battle with a smile.Why didn’t you leave town once all this trouble started?”

Caleb blinked at the sudden apparent change of topic. “What?”

“The Crown’s Guard didn’t suspect you, you and Nott were the only two of us who could come and go as they pleased. So why didn’t you leave?”

“I— I suggested that, to Nott,” Caleb admitted. “But she convinced me that we should stay.”

“Uh huh,” Fjord said. “And you cared what she thought.”

“Of course I did—“

“You know that girl looks at you like you hung the moon, right? You could have demanded that you two leave and she would have had her bag packed in an instant.”

“I’m not sure that—“

“Or you could have just left her here, if you were only thinking about yourself, if you were thinking the way a coward thinks. But that’s not who you are. Caleb, sometimes bravery looks like someone who is scared out of their wits and does what needs to be done _anyway._ ”

“I—“ Caleb’s words dried up in his throat. He wanted to believe Fjord, he really did.

“Besides, if being scared means you can’t be brave, then I wasn’t brave last night.” Fjord’s voice grew soft. “Because when I saw that imp take you out, I was scared I was never going to know what it’d be like to kiss you.”

Caleb had to be dreaming, it was the only logical explanation for what Fjord had just said. Maybe he had fallen asleep in the bathtub, or on the floor of his room. He took a deep breath and turned around slowly.

Fjord was looking at him nervously, his yellow eyes fixed on Caleb. Caleb could see the fear of rejection in those eyes, saw his own scared face reflected there. When he placed his hand on Fjord’s broad chest, he could feel the half orc’s heart beating frantically.

_Sometimes bravery looks like someone who is scared out of their wits_ , Caleb thought, then he raised himself slightly on his toes and pressed his lips to Fjord’s.

Fjord’s lips were just as kissable as Caleb had thought in his errant fantasies, warm and yielding against his own. He felt Fjord’s hand resting against the back of his head, the gentlest of pressures, as he kissed Caleb back, and Caleb wrapped his free arm around Fjord, only partially to steady himself as his knees had gone quite weak. How long had it been since he had held someone like this?

Even the best of kisses had to end eventually. Caleb broke the kiss and rested his forehead against Fjord’s shoulder. “I guess that’s one less thing for you to be afraid of,” Caleb whispered.

“Guess so,” Fjord said, gently running his hand through Caleb’s hair. “You’re still shaking.”

“Because I’m cold. And tired.” Caleb looked up and met Fjord’s eyes. “And happy.”

“Me too,” Fjord said, his eyes sparkling. “The happy part and the tired part, if we’re being honest. And as much as I want to stand here and kiss you all day, you look like you’re about to fall over. C’mon, let’s get dressed enough so we can walk down the hallway without shame at least.”

Caleb reluctantly let go of Fjord and started looking around for his clothes. That shouldn’t have been too hard, since the room was small and there weren’t many places to look, but they simply weren’t where he had left them. His books were still there, and his boots, but nothing else.

“Um, Fjord? You haven’t seen my clothes anywhere, have you?”

Fjord paused in buckling his belt, shirt draped over one arm. “Can’t say that I have—“ His eyes widened in sudden realization. “Though I did pass Jester in the hallway when I came in and she was carrying something that could have been your clothes, now that I think about it. She was giggling an awful lot too. I… probably should have questioned that.”

Caleb laughed, the sudden loud laughter of someone who is exhausted and finds themselves laughing at things that aren’t really that funny. He was still laughing when Fjord handed him the shirt he’d been about to put on.

“That should cover everything that needs covering at any rate, until we can get you some new clothes or Jester gives back the old ones. Which she might. Never can tell with that girl.”

Caleb’s laughter tapered down to occasional giggles as he drew the simple linen shirt over his head, and then it was Fjord’s turn to laugh as the shirt went nearly past Caleb’s knees. Caleb grinned. He should have felt foolish, and maybe he did a little, but it didn’t seem to matter so much at the moment.

“They put Toya in your room, right?” Fjord asked. “Molly said he was going to.”

“Oh, right, yes.” Caleb had almost forgotten. “I can just sleep on the floor, it’s fine.”

“Nonsense, you can share my bed,” Fjord said firmly. “I mean, if you don’t mind sleeping next to me. _Just_ sleeping. Not that I wouldn’t be inclined to getting up to something if you felt similarly inclined, but you’re exhausted and I wouldn’t want to presume anything.” Fjord’s skin went a darker green as he blushed. “Sorry, I’m rambling.”

Caleb stepped close and kissed Fjord again, a quick peck this time. “I will happily sleep next to you, not just because I am very cold and you are very warm.”

Fjord smiled in relief. “Wouldn’t want you to catch a chill, after all.”

Caleb chuckled as he slung his book holsters over his shoulder and picked up his boots. “Shall we then?”

Thankfully there was no one in the hallway to see Caleb dressed in only one of Fjord’s shirts, he had a feeling that if Jester or Beau or Molly had seen him, Caleb would never have been able to live it down.

“It’s funny,” Caleb said as Fjord opened the door to his room. “Jester was so interested in my books, yet she didn’t take them when she took my clothes.”

“Thing you’ll learn about Jester if you stay around long enough to get to know her, she doesn’t tend to mess around with people’s weapons without permission.” Fjord waited until Caleb was inside and then closed the door. “She doesn’t touch Beau’s staff and she doesn’t dare play with my sword. Maybe she thinks those books are a weapon too.”

“They can be, after a fashion.” Caleb said distractedly, but his eyes and thoughts were for Fjord’s bed. “Are we both going to fit in that?”

Fjord, pants gone and dressed only in his smallclothes, only smiled. “I could hold you extra close, if you’re afraid of falling out.”

Caleb got into the bed, the feeling of sheets against his skin feeling as wonderful and luxurious as the bathwater had. A moment later Fjord joined him, and Caleb relaxed at the feeling of the half-orc’s strong, warm arms around him.

Later, Caleb would talk things over with Nott and they would decide what to do next. Later, Beau would press Caleb’s share of the money into his hand and refuse to take the coins back. Later, Caleb would wake up to find a neatly folded pile of clothes next to the bed, his coat freshly cleaned and joined by a new shirt and pants. He’d be so excited about this that he wouldn’t think about the fact that the clothes had come from Jester until he was halfway through breakfast and the itching started. Later was later though.

For now, Caleb closed his eyes, relaxed into Fjord’s embrace, and finally, _finally_ went to sleep.

**Author's Note:**

> Yes, I know that's probably not how itching powder works, but you tell me that Jester wouldn't have somehow acquired time delayed itching powder. She'd want to see the results of her handiwork after all!


End file.
